FIJI has deported an Iranian national who sought political asylum after fleeing the Manus Detention Centre in Papua New Guinea.
The man was intercepted with his lawyer while travelling from the western region of Fiji to the capital, Suva, to meet Immigration Director, Major Nemani Vuniwaqa.
Reports show the Iranian – and his lawyer, human rights advocate Aman Ravindra Singh – were stopped on the Queens Highway.
Singh was given a deportation order from his client who was seized by Immigration officers and police.
Local television footage from the independent Fiji Television Limited showed the man being dragged kicking and screaming through Nadi International Airport.
He is believed to be on a flight to Papua New Guinea.